Fix You
by Kurohane Ookami
Summary: He had always been alone. Now he's struggling to find his place with the Guardians. Sequel to What's Left of Me. M for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all!**

**This is the sequel to What's Left of Me, my JackRabbit pairing fic. I highly advise you read that fic before you try to tackle this one, because otherwise, there's not going to be a lot that you understand. **

**Warning: There is a lot of angst and hurt in this fic.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.**

**Summary: He had always been alone. Now he's struggling to find his place with the Guardians. Sequel to What's Left of Me.**

o-o-o-o

_He had always been alone, always taken care of himself. _

_Why would anything change his mind?_

Maybe it was because he had lost everything that he didn't even know he valued highly until it was all taken away from him. He didn't know how cruel the world could be until everything faded to black.

He didn't how how mercilessly he could kill.

o-o-o-o

North's workshop was bustling once again, the yetis back to their usual positions as happily as they possibly could be. The elves skittered around aimlessly, their small hats askew as they did the various activities that usually resulted in some kind of unusual result.

Toothiana was flitting around, several Baby Teeth trailing behind her as she double checked that everything was in order in Japan. Sandman was further behind her, rolling his eyes as he mimed Tooth's frantic bustling around. Even Bunnymund was present, though he was more a bystander than much else. Considering that the Pooka was highly sensitive to the cold, he was still attempting to warm himself by the large fire in the hearth, his ears laid back in pleasure.

But there was a small shift in the way that everything flowed.

A wary Winter Spirit floated around the edges of the workshop, not quite joining in on the bustle, nor making eye contact with the others when asked if he would come and give them a hand with something. He simply did as was asked before retreating back to the shadows, his bright eyes troubled.

All of the Guardians were concerned for Jack's health. But none of them really knew what to do about it. Jack had been quiet and anxious the entirety of the time that he and Bunnymund had arrived back at the workshop, not really wanting to interact with anyone, including Bunnymund.

The Pooka was more understanding than the others, but even he didn't understand why Jack was pulling away from him. After the events that they had been through together, he would have expected the Winter Spirit to at least be a little closer to him than off on his own.

Jack was new, different. His stance was that of a worn and old man, and his eyes were flinty and guarded. Bunnymund had seen that look before, all of the times being while he was hiding the fact that he had tried to kill himself from the Pooka. Which led Bunnymund to believe that Jack was trying to keep everything from everyone rather than telling what he had gone through while all of them had been...out of commission.

Not that the other Guardians weren't traumatized in their own ways by what had happened. Tooth looked over her shoulder every several moments as if she expected someone to be standing there, while Sandman was more serious than usual. And North...well, he'd pretty much thrown himself back into his work in order to distract him from thinking about anything that could lead him to become more depressed than usual. But all of Bunnymund's stress didn't come from just thinking about what had happened. No, it all revolved around the Winter Spirit who was slowly beginning to waste away again in front of his eyes.

His heart clenched as he watched Jack settle onto a banister, the teen's face neutral.

The Pooka finished heating up his frozen behind before slowly moving towards the teen, who had already glanced his way for several seconds before going back to fiddling with something in his palm. Probably the Moonstone that the Winter Spirit hadn't let out of his sight for even a single minute since waking up in the Warren. All that he had been given as an answer when asked where he'd gotten it was, "The Moon told me."

Odd, but it had to have some truth in it. Most likely it had something to do with the Man in the Moon himself.

But what?

o-o-o-o

Jack balanced carefully on the banister, his fingers idly running over the smooth Moonstone, his thoughts sinking into the new pit that had been dug in his mind since the confrontation with Pitch.

Everything was beginning to go back to normal for the others, even though they didn't believe it. The Winter Spirit could just see it. Tooth was already wrapped up in her tooth collecting duties, Sandman was his usual expressive self, and Bunnymund and North were back at their gentle banter about whether Easter or Christmas was the more difficult holiday to look out for.

Actually, Jack could tell that North and Bunnymund weren't quite as okay as the other two Guardians. Sandman had been around longer than the rest, possibly being around since the Man in the Moon had been created. And Tooth was one who refused to dwell on the unhappy things. Her mission was to collect the happy memories from children, not the bad, so she thought of herself as the same. Just a collection of happy memories. But Jack could see an edge to her shoulders and her Baby Teeth as they fluttered around her.

Bunnymund was concerned about him, he knew. That was why he had to distance himself from the Pooka. He didn't want everyone fawning over him, even though some tiny part in the back of his mind was stubbornly telling him that yes, it was exactly what he needed at the moment.

Everything in him rebelled at the thought of walking away fromt the Pooka, but Jack just had to make sure that he realized that he was fine. Well, not fine, but not bad, either. He was still somewhere in the denial stage. Survivors guilt, he'd heard it called once.

But was it really all that simple?


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all. **

**Sorry about the delay in posting, but I've been trying to work out the kinks in the plot. **

**Before any of you get really excited, this fic is basically a follow up fic. I'm going to estimate the length of this fic to be ten to fifteen chapters long, at best, and it is going to be centered around Jack and Bunnymund, considering that the pairing is JackRabbit. And there is going to be angst. And hurt, and drama, and all that other good stuff. So...enjoy the official start of Fix You. **

**Warning: There is a lot of angst and hurt in this fic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians. **

**Summary: He had always been alone. Now he's struggling to find his place with the Guardians. Sequel to What's Left of Me.**

o-o-o-o

Jack woke with a quiet whine of fear. His blue eyes flickered around the room he was staying in quickly, his heart pummelling against his ribcage like a hummingbird. He couldn't remember what exactly had made him so nervous, but he did know that he was terrified now.

His fingers clenched around the thin quilt that he had been tangled in, and before he quite knew what he was doing, the Winter Spirit slid out of bed quietly, his bare feet touching the warm wood flooring hesitantly. Softly, he opened his door and padded down the hall as softly as a cat, subconscious mind taking him to the one place he knew he would feel safest.

As he tentatively ran his fingers over the door of Bunnymund's room, he wondered if he should be here. After being so vague for the last couple of days, what would the Pooka think of him simply crawling into bed with him?

The clock continued to crawl forward, and Jack finally decided that it didn't matter. He needed some kind of comfort, and there was only one person he felt comfortable enough to do so with.

Opening the door, the teen entered the guest room that Bunnymund was borrowing while he helped North get back on track.

There wasn't much to see in the dark, but Jack's instincts guided him to the giant nest of blankets and various other materials that lay on top of the bedframe. Slowly, he climbed over the small hill and instantly slid into Bunnymund's warm side. There was a sudden movement as the Pooka sleepily shifted.

"_Frostbite..?" _the Pooka mumbled, one of his arms settling over Jack's spine. _"Whass wrong?" _

"Can't sleep." he replied simply, curling into the warmth that the Pooka was offering.

_"Mkay.." _came the soft grunt before Bunnymund tugged Jack closer, pulling him up so that his head was resting against the Pooka's chest.

With that, Jack simply listened to Bunnymund's heart beating gently beneath his ear as the night wore on, until his own eyes drifted closed and he too, fell into sleep.

o-o-o-o

His eyes flickered as he woke to the sound of snoring.

Jack blinked fuzzily with a yawn, laying limply in the warmth of Bunnymund's loose grip and trying to wake up. The low rumble coming from the Pooka's chest was somethign comforting, despite the loud tone that it was being blasted into his ears at. In his own opinion, it sounded more like a large and comfortable feline purring than anything else.

It was almost enough to make the Winter Spirit fall back asleep. Almost, but not quite enough. Idly, Jack began tracing vague shapes on Bunnymund's long fur, simply enjoying the moment and the feel of the silk beneath his fingers.

It was a while later before Bunnymund finally stirred, his rumbling pausing before stopping and his muscles tensing as he woke.

"Frostbite? What're you doin' here?"

"Couldn't sleep last night." he muttered. Jack felt so uncomfortable in that moment. Of course Bunnymund wouldn't remember how the Winter Spirit had ended up curled beside him last night. The Pooka had barely been awake when it happened!

"Right..." came the sleepy answer. "Did you sleep well, mate?"

"Better." Jack admitted tentatively.

"Good."

That was not the answer that the Winter Spirit had been expecting. He had been expecting something else- well, he wasn't actually sure what he had been expecting. All he knew was that that hadn't been it.

"I should get back to America." the Winter Spirit finally sighed. "There's a snowstorm due tomorrow."

Bunnymund snorted from next to him. "And that, mate, is why you get in so much trouble."

"Just because it doesn't make any sense to you doesn't mean that it doesn't to me." he retorted. "It's part of the cycle."

"What cycle?"

Bunnymund twisted, shifting so that he was curled around Jack on his stomach, paws folded under his chin. His bright eyes stared at him with open curiosity, and Jack was suddenly hit with the realization that the Pooka was honestly interested in what cycle that he was talking about.

"If you look at the handful of times that there's been snow in places there shouldn't be snow, you'd realize that it's part of the climate cycle that I'm in charge of." he began with a shrug. "As a Winter Spirit, I have to make sure that the climate doesn't get too out of hand, what with all of the pollution that's going around these days. People just don't get that it makes a shit ton of work for me to do to make sure that all of the world doesn't go out of control and go into another ice age. After, of course, the entire fucking world ends because of temperatures rising."

The Pooka merely stared at him, trying to wrap his mind around this new information that had just been poured into his ears. He hadn't thought that Jack's position as a Winter Spirit could ever be so complicated. He had only ever seen it as Jack being a mischievous spirit who made snowballs for fun and screwed around with his powers like he was drunk on them.

Then again, there had been a lot about the Winter Spirit that he hadn't known before he'd almost died _twice _on his watch.

"So you clean up after everyone's mess?" the Pooka finally asked.

"Something like that." Jack sighed wearily, as though the weight of the world was pressing down on his shoulders. Bunnymund couldn't blame the poor kid. He was a fraction of the age that he and the other Guardians were, and yet he had been through more than anyone would ever hope to understand. Maybe not himself, but Tooth and North would never understand, no matter how hard they could try. Sandy would understand, being older than anyone else was, but there would be the fact that the little man made of sand was more territorial about all of them than North was. "And I'm almost sick of it."

"So that incident back in-?"

"Yeah. That was to ensure that nothing was disrupted in the climate." Jack said vaguely. "Never told you 'cause we hated each other. Never really any reason to."

"Why now, then?"

The Winter Spirit turned his heavy frosty eyes to Bunnymund. "Because things changed."

Somehow, the memory of those mere hours of not being believed in popped into the Pooka's mind, and he instinctively knew that that had been the beginning of the tentative friendship that they two Guardians had begun.

"Yeah, I guess they have, haven't they, Frostbite." he replied softly, curling around the Winter Spirit and drifting back off to sleep.

Jack continued to lay there for several more minutes before he decided that he would rather sleep than get up. Mumbling to himself about how Pooka's made absolutely no sense, the Winter Spirit made himself more comfortable before waiting for sleep to come over him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey all. My apologies for not posting for the last while. It was my Birthday on the 19**** and all that other fun stuff, and I got a new laptop and several awesome books for it, but mainly, I've just been busy and a tiny bit lazy. **

**I thank all of you wonderful people who have managed to put up with my laziness for this long and continue to review in order to motivate me. Honestly, it does. **

**Warning: There is a lot angst and hurt in this fic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.**

**Summary: He had always been alone. Now he's struggling to find his place with the Guardians. Sequel to What's Left of Me.**

o-o-o-o

There wasn't a lot of communication between Jack and the rest of the Guardians.

That was blatantly obvious when Bunnymund woke again to see that Jack was gone. Sure, he could recall vaguely the Winter Spirit saying something about cycles and all, but it didn't mean that he could just up and leave whenever the hell he wanted to.

Then again, this was Jack Frost he was talking about. The Winter Spirit did whatever the hell he wanted whenever the hell he wanted.

_Maybe that's a little harsh. _His thoughts chided. Jack had been through a lot in a relatively short period of time, and he was more than a little wary around corners and shadows. That much was obvious within the short amount of time that Bunnymund and the other three Guardians had managed to observe the teen.

Tooth, of course, wanted to smother the poor kid with as much affection as she physically could, which had led to several offhand conversations in a ten minute period that had resulted in Sandman putting North and Tooth on opposite sides of the room for another ten minutes.

North thought that they should pretty much do it the good old fashioned way; corner Jack and make him realize how important he was to them and all of this duck and cover crap wasn't needed. But Bunnymund and Sandy both knew that that was a sure way to cause Jack to pull away even further than he already had.

Sandy, well, he had that knowing look in his eye when he firmly denied any and all attempts at getting Jack to open up to them, the tiny little golden man crossing his arms and raising a brow delicately, challenging anyone who would be stupid enough to go up against him. He had, after all, been the one to defeat Pitch the first time around. Everyone had seen that darker gleam behind the usually bright eyes, that darker side of Sandman that had been born from years of living in guilt, thinking that it had been his fault that Pitch had originally defected.

Bunnymund yawned, eyes flickering around his nest of blankets before he stretched for several moments, working out the kinks and the thoughts that were dead set on making themselves at home for God knew how long. He was craving something at the moment. Something calm, haunted, and going by the name of Jack Frost.

He wasn't quite sure that he liked these new emotions the Winter Spirit was invoking in him. The Pooka hadn't had to deal with emotions like these for a great many years, and it was unnerving how easily that all of his locks were dissolving and being removed from them.

Bunnymund still wasn't sure what had even happened when he and the other Guardians were- well, he wouldn't say that they had been dead. It was simply as though there was nothing there. Just a gap in his memory that the Pooka wasn't sure he would ever be able to understand. He remembered everything up until that point in crystal clear detail, and then nothing. And then the rest of his memories following his reappearance just picked right back up again. But even they were hazy, as though he'd been in some sort of dream or hallucination. It was truly a strange feeling.

"Bunny! You in room?"

The Pooka sighed as sudden banging on his door broke him from his turbulent thoughts once more, and he made his way over to the doors. Grasping the handles, he barely had time to duck out of the way as they slammed open, nearly taking off his ears.

"Watch it, mate." He grumbled, though he knew it was hopeless. North had been ready to peel off into a race of a speech, and to top it all off, it was in Russian. Honestly. The guy had to have figured out by now that he was the only one who spoke Russian. Well, maybe the yeti, but then again, no one seemed to know what language they spoke.

"North."

The large man continued to rant on about something or other; probably about the elves, considering that they were the ones who got into the most mischief next to Jack.

"North."

Again, nothing. Bunnymund felt his teeth begin to clench, something they always seemed to do around North when he began going on like this. His best options, at this point, were either to pretend he cared, or to attempt to sneak past the gesturing hands and out into semi-normalcy.

At this point, escape was definitely appearing the better option.

o-o-o-o

_Stupid, stupid, stupid. _Jack growled to himself. What had possessed him to open up to the Pooka like that?

_Well, _the little voice in the back up his mind supplied cheerily, _there's always the fact that you admitted that you had feelings for him._

Yes, there had been that little realization. But that wasn't necessarily the part of him that was rebelling against giving all of his secrets away. He had a right to his privacy, and damn it all to Hell, he was going to keep them!

_Like what happened at the monastery? Like what happened during those last minutes against Pitch?_

_SHUT UP! _He snarled, unable to help himself. Around the Winter Spirit, the weather picked up, the snowflakes becoming larger and the winds picking up on his turmoiled mood. Lightly, as if taunting him, the wind pressed itself close against the teens side before whirling off in a mischievous twirl.

It wasn't fair.

All of this- why had it been him? All this time, he'd wanted nothing more than to have companionship, be alone from his nightmares and memories. But now, now he had to deal with everything else that had been piled onto his plate. Hell, why did it have to be him? He had to come to terms with the fact that he had seen more, done more, and would always be someone just out of reach of the normal world. He could never be that mischievous Winter Spirit that the legends of him told. In fact, Jack didn't think that he ever had been. He had only been plagued by fear and hurt and neglect.

Neglect that he had been doing to himself, of course. But that wasn't the point now. He was a teenager, albeit a three hundred year old teenager, but he was a teenager nonetheless. Weren't teenagers supposed to be free of such adult things? Of simply living life as it came, spur of the moment decisions and all of that other crap?

No, he was saddled with murder and essentially losing everything that had initially made him Jack Frost. He didn't even have his infamous wind any longer, or his staff. Nope, he was stuck with a fancy little glowing rock and some kind of twisted version of teleportation, instead. Hell, he didn't even have his own clothing! He was still wearing that ridiculous monk garb that he'd fought Pitch in.

The mere thought of the Nightmare King's name brought the taste of bile to the back of his throat. Jack shuddered lightly, remembering every detail that he wanted nothing more than to have burned from his mind. His bare feet, comfortable against the stone beneath him, linked the sensation to the cavern.

He hated it.

All of it.

Jack Frost was an illusion, a fake. He was not the cheery spirit who tapped children on the nose with his snow. He didn't love cleaning up after humanity, cleaning up after their mistakes that were slowly killing the world around them.

He was a cold, emotionless murderer who was too weak to even listen to the words that he told himself would make everything change. Those vile, twisted words that refused to give up on him, even after all this time.

_Just let go of it all. _One voice crooned.

_We can make everything go away forever, this time._

Never. He would never do such a thing again.

Even though he was pulling away from the Guardians, he needed them as support beams against the pain and shock of the horrors he had witnessed, had committed.

Especially one certain Pooka that he could not rid his thoughts of, no matter how hard he tried.

o-o-o-o

"So, am Ah the only one here who is completely lost, or is Sandy with me on this one?" Bunnymund asked, raising a brow as he 'sunned' himself next to the warm fire in North's designated meeting room. "Because what it sounds like to me is that you want to actually trick Frostbite into telling ya what's going on. Which, in my opinion, is a very bad idea."

"And why is that, Bunny?" North replied calmly, raising his own brow in challenge.

Bunnymund instantly internally cursed. He'd backed himself into a corner without even realizing it. Damn, North was getting good at this.

Sighing, the Pooka decided that a partial truth wasn't actually going to hurt anyone at this point, except maybe himself if Jack came back and learned what he was about to say to the Guardians. He may not know the Winter Spirit as a close friend, but he had been close enough to the Guardian to know what made him tick in that snow white head of his.

"Frostbite…" he began, "He's not the Guardian everyone thinks he is."

"What do you mean?" Toothiana piped up, pink eyes gleaming with new concern. "He's always been Jack. We all know what he's like."

"That's what Ah thought at first, too." Bunnymund shrugged. "But after being around him for a while, it's pretty obvious that Frostbite's a very secretive person. He's not likely to let anyone in without a good reason."

"He let you in." North pointed out.

The Pooka leveled a deadpan stare on the usually jolly Guardian. "In case you've forgotten, Ah was with him for a good portion of time. We talked."

Sandy, silent up until this point, finally fidgeted, several images quickly flashing above his head as he looked at Bunnymund. There was that knowing look again, too. Seeing it nearly had the Pooka wanting to tear his whiskers off in pure frustration. He knew something that no one else did, and he was being smug about it in his own vague way.

"No." he replied. "Frostbite didn't let his guard down often."

North and Tooth shared a look with Sandy, who was now even beginning to show signs of wanting to crack a smile. Again, Bunnymund was getting that urge to cause some kind of harm to something. Even though he had a healthy amount of respect for the little golden man, there were simply some things that ground on his nerves like nothing else.

"Am I late for something?" Jack's voice asked abruptly, snapping all four Guardians out of whatever thoughts they were losing themselves in. North flashed a bright grin in the Winter Spirit's direction, and Tooth made a small wave, but Bunnymund and Sandy saw no reason to put on a mask and pretend that everything was alright. In fact, Bunnymund was getting the urge to run off before he did something that he would regret later.

"Ah was just leaving." He said shortly, tapping his paw against the ground, barely noticing the sudden stiffness to the Winter Spirit's frame as the words were tossed into empty space.

"Oh. Well, I'm just checking in. There's an unbalance in Egypt that I need to take care of, and this was on my way there." Jack said coolly before the still surprising snow flashed into existence, carrying the Winter Spirit away through its own means.

North threw his hands up in exasperation after both Guardians had disappeared, a look of long suffering planted on his features.

"Jack and Bunny need to open up." Tooth said softly, her fluttering wings the only sound besides the fire in the room. "Whatever Jack told Bunny is obviously hurting them."

Sandy shook his head, the faintest of smiles on his features. He knew exactly what it was that was bothering the two Guardians, but he was going to let his other Guardians figure it out in their own due time.

Besides, leading them on a little would be just the sort of thing that he would do. Not that they would realize it was him behind it, anyway.

Sandman was just a little more clever than most gave him credit for.


	4. Chapter 4

**Oooohhh, is this an update? Indeed it is, people.**

**I'm sorry it's taking me so long to actually get this fic done and over with, but I have been busy and do have a life other than this site. (Believe it or not.) Plus, I just got back from my Choir trip to San Francisco, so don't expect me to be all happy and cheery. I'm still exhausted.**

**Anywho, now that I'm done ranting…**

**There's a surprise last second appearance from an OC in this chapter! Don't worry, he won't be making an appearance again in this fic, but he will be a part of the plot. **

**Warning: There is a lot angst and hurt in this fic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.**

**Summary: He had always been alone. Now he's struggling to find his place with the Guardians. Sequel to What's Left of Me.**

o-o-o-o

Several more days went by with barely an appearance from Bunnymund or Jack, and to be perfectly honest, North was very nearly at the end of his chain. It was well known around the 'Spirit Community' that Santa wasn't actually as patient as some made him out to be. Nonetheless, credit was duly given for the Russian to have lasted several days. Usually, something like this would have made him crack long before.

"That is it!" he bellowed one day after staring blankly at a piece of ice for three hours. "No more fancy dancing!"

The yeti around North shared confused glances for a good long moment before they realized who the Russian was talking about, and then their eyes widened as they realized what this could mean if he meant to take matters into his own hands. Frantically, they gestured at the large man not to do it, chattering away and telling him why it would be a very bad idea to try and confront the two Guardians, but North was having none of it. Brushing off their protests with hardly any effort, he briskly stepped over to the wall and grabbed his velvety red coat off the hook, slinging it over his shoulders gracefully before beginning to rummage around in the pockets for a snow globe.

"Bunny and Jack need talking to." He barked at the yeti as they surrounded him, snatching the snow globes out of his pockets and passing them to the furthest edges of the crowd. "Out of my way!"

However, the yeti weren't as unintelligent as most made them out to be, and they argued right back about why it wouldn't be a good idea to hunt the two spirits down. Unfortunately for North, there really wasn't any other option but to listen to the points that they brought to the one sided conversation and then decide what to make of them.

"Yes, Jack is still recovering. So is Bunny! They working too hard!" North bellowed, attempting to shoulder his way through the mob of yeti. This was definitely not the best way to go about things, considering the fact that the yeti forces had had to deal with a Winter Spirit by the name of Jack Frost for three hundred years, attempting to get into the workshop. Therefore, North was much easier to pin down, mostly due to the fact that he couldn't float around on that blasted wind or turn them into ice sculptures the same way that Jack could.

Said Russian was highly unamused with the mutiny.

When he was eventually able to escape the furry paws that held him back, he glared at them sourly before storming off. Obviously, this particular tactic wasn't going to work on his work force. But it didn't mean that he was giving up, oh no. It just mean that he had to resort to plan B.

After all, Santa did ride a sleigh.

o-o-o-o

Jack was leaning against the tip of the Eiffel Tower, his frost blue eyes unusually blank as he looked over the night lit city of Paris. He could hear the faintest sounds of laughter, of music and people as they blissfully lived their lives. They didn't have to live the life that he did, surrounded by everything that he wanted nothing more than to erase.

"You look troubled, my friend."

The Winter Spirit started, leaping to his feet and automatically calling out to the ever present frost that danced at his fingertips threateningly.

The male in front of him grinned easily, the black feathered mask covering the top half of his features almost looking alive in the dim light. Silver hair tumbled easily around his shoulders, and a pair of bright grey eyes blinked at Jack mischievously. He wore a white tunic that appeared as though it were from a medieval period, and his long legs were clad in a simple pair of loose white pants. His feet were bare, though it didn't particularly matter due to the fact that he was stepping on thin air.

"Easy. I'm not here to cause trouble. Not for you, at least." The male flashed a quick grin, shrugging his shoulders, making the silver strands that framed his face fan out.

"Who are you?" Jack asked curtly, blue eyes narrowed. The frost at his fingertips didn't disappear in the least, and especially not as the other male stepped closer.

"To them," the teen shrugged with a nod down below, "They call me Mischief Night. Of course, the name varies, so I suppose I don't quite know who I am. But you're Jack Frost. Very difficult to go wrong with a name like that, isn't it?"

Jack paused for several long moments to simply take in the grinning male in front of him. He wasn't entirely sure of what to make of the guy, for starters. He was laid back and not really posing any sort of threat to him in the least. The only thing that he had really done was sneak up on him while he was thinking.

"I suppose you're wondering which of the wondrous spirits I am?" Mischief Night chuckled lowly, grey eyes beginning to glow eerily as he moved ever closer to the Winter Spirit. "I'm the introduction of sorts to Samhain, Halloween, Hallowmas, whatever you'd like to call her. Officially, I've only been around for about…two hundred fifty years, give or take, but unofficially…well, I'm older than you."

"You're...what?" Jack blinked.

Mischief Night laughed, the black feather mask shifting with his features seamlessly. "I'm named Mischief Night for a reason, Jack Frost." He purred, tossing his mane of silver back. "I wander and roam where I please, and once a year it's my time to shine. Of course, Samhain always gets the credit, but that's the fun part, isn't it?"

A deck of cards appeared between slender fingers, and Mischief Night shuffled with skilled fingers before nimbly plucking a card from the top. His eyes were still alight, but there was now a darker gleam lingering within.

"You've recently been through a war." The male said idly, studying the painted image on the card. Jack couldn't tell what was there, but it didn't matter. Mischief Night plucked another card from the deck, his lips curling into a smile.

"You're feeling torn between something. A love interest, perhaps?"

Another card plucked and held up.

"And you're struggling to find yourself. Interesting, indeed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack snapped.

Mischief Night flashed another quick grin as the deck of cards disappeared again, and he stepped back, putting his palms out in an unconcerned fashion.

"That's for you to figure out, isn't it?" the other spirit threw back his head and laughed before spinning around and disappearing into thin air. A moment later, the sound of a portal opening behind him gave the Winter Spirit only seconds before he found himself yanked backwards into North's familiar grasp.

o-o-o-o

"What the bloomin' hell do ya think you're doin'? Put me down, mate, Ah ain't no prize!"

The two yeti carrying the irritating Pooka garbled out apologies and set the Guardian on his paws, making sure that they could grab him should he make yet another break for it. Bunnymund flattened his ears at the pair before hopping over to the fireplace, lifting his frozen paws for the flames to warm.

"North had better have a bloody good explanation for this one, mate." The Pooka snarled under his breath.

"I have good reason, Bunny."

Bunny turned, and he couldn't help but let his jaw drop at the utter ridiculousness of the Winter Spirit that was slung over the Russian man's shoulder. However, he quickly snapped it shut in favor of giving his long-time friend the dirtiest glare he could muster.

"If ya wanted ta see me so bad mate, ya shoulda just used the bloody lights."

"Is not a Guardian matter." North waved off the Pooka's complaint. "This about you and Jack. We know something wrong between two of you. Fix it."

With that, he plopped a fuming Jack onto the floor. His white hair was sticking out in every direction, and if he wasn't a Winter Spirit, Bunnymund swore that there would be flames dancing in his eyes.

"Maybe I don't want to be fixed?" the teen spat venomously. "What then?"

"This is not just about you, Jack. Everyone worried about you. You distant from us. We want nothing but best for you."

"Well your best isn't good enough." The youngest Guardian hissed before the frost surrounded him, disappearing as he did. North immediately turned to face Bunnymund, face creased in determination.

"Go after him."

"What?" Bunnymund sputtered. "Ya drag me all the way here just to tell me to go after Frostbite? Ah don't think so, mate! Not happenin'."

North gave him a look.

o-o-o-o

Of course, Bunnymund already knew where Jack was hiding. It was a place that made him feel safe and threatened and everything in between, and he was surprised that North hadn't realized where Jack would be hiding.

It was also the one place he knew that Jack would be able to actually sit and _think_.

So when the grey Pooka stepped into the monastery, he was startled to see Jack flowing through a set of complicated movements at astounding speeds, his limbs whipping out before being pulled back towards his body in a thrilling dance. He would have expected him to be moping, something, but definitely not this. He had never seen the Winter Spirit doing anything like this. When had he learned how to do it?

Jack growled lowly, ducking down and jabbing out with his heel before spinning back up to his feet and flipping back agilely, his brows creased into a frown.

Slowly, Bunnymund moved over to a wall to observe Jack, taking note of the deftly controlled movements and was left in near shock. The Winter Spirit was nearly flawless in the forms that he was going through, each one of them perfectly suited to the lithe frame behind each sharp jab and kick. Of course, there were a couple of issues with a few of the stances, but that could just be from lack of experience and not necessarily something that Jack was doing wrong.

"Are you done staring at me?"

The Pooka started. He hadn't thought that Jack would realize he was here.

"Ah came to check in on ya, mate."

"I don't need a babysitter." Jack spat back, crossing his arms and jutting out his chin rebelliously. "So run along back to your Burrow, rabbit."

Although there was the rage simmering in his gaze, Bunnymund could also see the pain there, the emotions that he didn't dare let anyone else see. It put a great sense of duty on Bunnymund's shoulders, and if there was one thing that he knew how to do, it was to take charge of a situation.

"No." he drawled, looking over the back of his paw. "Ah don' think Ah will."

There was a stiffening in Jack's shoulders, and the Pooka inwardly felt relieved. At least he knew that he could get through the barriers that were set up neatly in the Winter Spirit's mind and worm his way under his skin. It meant that he would be able to have a good long chat with the teen. It just meant that he would probably have to get into a direct confrontation first.

"In fact, Ah think Ah'll stay right…_here_." He emphasized, plastering a smirk across his features. He received a dark glower in return, and then the younger Guardian lunged.

Luckily, the Pooka anticipated something like that happening, and easily sidestepped, falling into the familiar forms that he himself had studied for a great many years. His paws remained relaxed as Jack whirled and came at him again, only coming up to block twice as the Winter Spirit threw blows at his face.

It was quickly decided, however, that he would have to rethink this brilliant plan of his, as he became aware that Jack was simply lashing out and not actually thinking through his actions.

He fell into a pattern, wondering if the angry teen coming at him would clue into what he was doing or if he would simply continue until he exhausted himself. Either was possible, really. Bunnymund was now beginning to understand that there was still a lot about Jack that he didn't know about. The fact that he knew a martial art, for one, was something that he would have never thought possible, but that theory was being pushed right back into his face. Literally, in fact. Another was that he was still acting distant, even though he knew that he had feelings for him.

The thought caught the Pooka off guard, and it allowed Jack to get a heavy blow to the jaw in.

Bunnymund stumbled back a half step, blinking as he took in what he had just thought. Jack had feelings for him. How the hell had he managed to figure that one out? Was it even true? There was still that one little part of him that was crowing with relief. He had a chance with the Winter Spirit, but the majority of his mind was telling him that it was a figment of his imagination. There wasn't any way that Frostbite would actually have feelings for him, right? Sure, he had gotten a lot closer to the Guardian than he was sure anyone else had gotten, but that didn't necessarily mean that they had become _that_ close.

He was brought back to the present by Jack, though not in the way that he would have expected.

The Winter Spirit actually looked horrified that he had hit the Pooka, and his hands were limp at his sides. His blue eyes were astonishingly wide, and his jaw was slightly parted.

"I'm sorry." He breathed, looking torn between running and staying to see if he was alright. Either way, all that was running through the Pooka's mind was the smug thought that he was right. Jack Frost had feelings for him.

And he had feelings for the Winter Spirit.


	5. Chapter 5

**DOUBLE POSTING! **

**Well, you'll all be pleased to hear that Fix You has been boosted to the top of my To Do list. In order for me to post new fictions, I'd much rather have a bunch of my works in progress done before I add to the mess, so I decided that since Fix You is a shorter fic that it would be the first one to be completed. So expect to see more updates coming up in the next couple weeks. I expect this fic to run 8-10 chapters at maximum, so you all have your warning. **

**And there is actual FEELINGS REVEALED in this chapter! I'm so freaking stoked because of that! But on the other hand, it's terribly rushed, and I apologize for that. I just needed to get the words out of my head and actually written out, and this is the result of that. I hope you enjoy it anyway. **

**Warning: There is a lot angst and hurt in this fic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.**

**Summary: He had always been alone. Now he's struggling to find his place with the Guardians. Sequel to What's Left of Me.**

o-o-o-o

All he could think about was the fact that he had actually hit Bunnymund. Him. No one else in the entire world could land a hit on the Pooka until now.

He was actually feeling a little lightheaded, seeing the shock shining back at him in the bright emerald that stared back at him. In fact, the Winter Spirit wanted nothing more than to run very far, very fast, and never show his face to the Guardian again.

"I'm sorry." He breathed, knowing that it would never be enough to show how upset he was about the entire situation. He was acting like an immature child, for crying out loud! He was allowing himself to become too emotional over something like this, even though he knew it was going to happen sooner or later. He knew that he would eventually be confronted, and he knew that he would probably run, but taking out his frustrations on Bunnymund just went against everything in him. On top of all of that, there was the entire situation that he had gone through with the other spirit that he had met at the top of the Eiffel Tower; Mischief Night. The mysterious words and the cards, along with everything else that was going on around him was just too much for him to handle.

Bunnymund looked confused for several long moments, as if he couldn't possibly fathom why Jack was apologizing, and then the Winter Spirit saw the understanding dawn on his features.

"Frostbite, you ain't got nothin' to apologize for, mate."

"But I-!" Jack immediately protested, unwilling to hear what the Pooka was about to say.

"Jack. It was my own fault that Ah got hit. Ah got distracted for a momen', and you took advantage of an openin'. Ah'm not gonna get mad at ya for doin' that."

The Winter Spirit flinched at the gentle tone that the Pooka was using with him, still unsure of why he felt so confused about this.

There was a heavy sigh from Bunnymund, and then he shifted, moving forward and bringing Jack into a warm embrace before the teen could wriggle out of the way. It wasn't hard to tell that it was what Jack needed; as soon as the large paws wrapped around his back, he burrowed into the heat of his fur and listened to the sound of the Pooka's heart.

Bunnymund let Jack simply stand there, feeling the slight tremors that ran through the smaller Guardian's body and doing his best to try and take some of the stress away from him. He wanted nothing more than for Jack to realize that he didn't have to be alone in this. He was here for him, and he wasn't going to go anywhere again. He would stand beside the Winter Spirit through everything that came his way, and he would do it with the new emotions that were beginning to reveal themselves to him.

He, E. Aster Bunnymund, was beginning to fall in love with Jack Frost.

"You alright, Frostbite?" he finally asked, unable to think of anything else to say to the Winter Spirit that would possibly make anything better.

"No." Jack replied pitifully, burrowing his face further into Bunnymund's fur. "I don't know what to do anymore. It's like I've suddenly seen the world a million times, but this time I've seen it as the one fighting all the wars for everyone. I can't see the same things that everyone else does because I've seen things and done things that they never will. I've killed someone, and it's been on my mind ever since. And then I met Mischief Night right before North grabbed me-"

"Hold on a minute. You _met_ Mischief Night?" Bunnymund asked incredulously, pulling Jack away from him by the shoulders.

"Yeah. Wears a black mask. Why?" Jack asked, his thoughts momentarily distracted from what he was originally thinking.

"Mate, not just any bloke just happens to see Mischief Night. The bloke's a bloody master at not being found unless he wants to be." The Pooka replied.

This changed everything. What had the spirit said to Jack that had gotten him so worked up over? In fact, what had the spirit even looked like? It had to have been at least a hundred years since Bunnymund had managed to catch a glimpse of him over in Canada. The details had faded from his memory, blurred around the edges like a worn photograph.

"What did he say?"

"Not much." Jack frowned. Bunnymund could instantly tell that even though the elusive spirit hadn't said much, it had certainly hit a sore spot of some kind with the Winter Spirit. "He said I went through a war and I was torn over something, and that I was trying to find myself. He did it with a bunch of cards, too. Tarot, I think."

"Mate, you've no idea how big this is." The Pooka informed the younger Guardian. "Even North hasn't seen Mischief Night before; not unless it was way back when."

"Great. Something else to add to the pile of bullshit in my life." The teen snarked, rolling his eyes before falling back into the serious state of mind. "I don't know if I can live forever and deal with everything anymore, Bunnymund. Nothing seems like it's going to get better, and with everyone else breathing down my neck-"

Before either of them knew what was happening, Bunnymund leaned down and pressed his lips against Jack's.

There was definitely some mild discomfort, considering the fact that they were two entirely different species, but somehow, they managed to fit together perfectly. It was almost like that missing puzzle piece that you didn't know you had until you realize that you were blind to that blank space the entire time.

Jack's startling bright blue gaze was locked onto Bunnymund's half lidded moss green, and then the Winter Spirit relaxed, moving closer to the Pooka and leaning his small frame against the larger of the elder Guardian. It was not something that either of them had planned happening, but now that it was, there was something that felt so right about it.

Jack broke away first, his pale cheeks flushed from embarrassment or lack of oxygen, and simply stayed silent. Both of the males eyed one another up. Bunnymund knew that the both of them would have to accept it if either one of them wanted to move on with this relationship, if that was what it was to become, and unless that happened, this would have all been one huge mistake.

"Frostbite.." Bunnymund started, feeling suddenly wary at the look that he was being given. "Is somethin' wrong?"

"I don't know if I can do this." The teen replied vaguely, uncertainly. Bunnymund swore that his heart stopped for a moment. Then, however, a surge of courage came out of nowhere and took him along for a ride. He moved closer to Jack, offering him a large paw and silently pleading with the Winter Spirit. He didn't know what he would do if he was to turn his back on him now. Actually, that wasn't true. The Pooka knew exactly what would happen if Jack were to turn his back on him now. He would spiral right back down to that place that he had begun with, and this time, he wasn't sure if the Winter Spirit would be able to rebound from the depression that had caused him to try and kill himself the last time.

"Yeah, ya can." Bunnymund coaxed softly, putting all of the feelings right out there for Jack to see. "Ah'm here for ya, Frostbite. You've got me. We can do this together."

There was silence surrounding them. The courtyard of the monastery was dark, and it was a miracle in itself that either of the Guardians could even see one another. But nonetheless, it was absolutely impossible for Bunnymund not to catch the next words that the Winter Spirit would speak. They were the words that would change everything. Whether it would be the good or bad, he was about to speak them, and then there would be no going back.

"Okay." Jack nodded, blue glowing in the dark like a pair of sapphires.

Bunnymund felt a huge weight suddenly lifted off of his shoulders. He hadn't realized that it had been stressing him out this much to know what the answer would be to the one thing that he wanted to ask most but hadn't had enough bravery to do so. In a swift movement, he swooped down again, pulling Jack into a heated kiss that he was sure would cause the both of them to go lightheaded from lack of oxygen, but he didn't care.

Jack had said yes. He had said yes for the both of them.


	6. Chapter 6

**The feels~! I love them I love them I love them! I adore you all for taking the time to review the last couple of chapters. You have no idea how much it motivates me to get my hands back on a keyboard and power out the next chapter. **

**Note: I do not refer to the children's books for any of the information that I use in this fiction. It all comes from the slightly scary place I call my mind. So please don't judge me too badly if there's something different that you don't necessarily like. **

**Another note: Listen to Coldplay's Fix You. It's the inspiration for this fic and a heavy inspiration for this chapter. **

**Warning: There is a lot angst and hurt in this fic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.**

**Summary: He had always been alone. Now he's struggling to find his place with the Guardians. Sequel to What's Left of Me.**

o-o-o-o

There was a silence that fell between the two Guardians as the night went on, and eventually, Bunnymund just had to ask Jack the question that had been eating at him since he'd arrived.

"When did ya learn martial arts, Frostbite?" the Pooka hummed, running a paw though the teen's unruly hair.

Jack shifted and leaned back against Bunnymund's chest again, not replying to the Pooka's question for what seemed to be hours.

"It- when you disappeared." The Winter Spirit replied dully, leaning his head back to look at Bunnymund's expression. "I found a scroll and figured it would come in handy for something."

There was a pang in the Pooka's chest as he realized that Jack was still distant as he spoke. So obviously, there was more to this conversation than he was understanding.

"What aren't ya tellin' me, Frostbite?"

"I…might have used it against Pitch."

It wasn't hard to tell when the younger flinched at speaking the Nightmare King's name, and to be honest, Bunnymund couldn't blame him for doing so. He could still remember when his species had been murdered in their burrows. He could still taste the blood that had spattered his paws as he sprinted through the colony, his heart pounding against his chest as fear and pain raged through him. Even now, it still pained him to think of the event that had caused him to close off to the other spirits, and later Guardians who would enter his life.

"Ah ain't gonna blame ya for anythin', Jack. Promise." The Pooka murmured, resting his chin on the top of Jack's head as he looked over the quickly lightening valley that was splayed out below them. "Ah'm never gonna let anyone hurt you again."

o-o-o-o

"North…what did you do to Jack and Aster?"

"What make you think I did anything?" said man replied innocently, tinkering away with a chisel and hammer at the block of ice set before him. It would only need a couple of more taps here…and then a hard hit there…he could almost see the form of the giraffe that he was trying to bring to life within. But a moment later, there was a fluffed up Toothiana in his way, and she did not look amused at all with his nonchalant attitude.

"Nicholas St. North, you tell me what you did to them before I swear in the name of all crystal white molars I will do something I _will_ regret." She hissed, feathers bristling dangerously as she jabbed a finger in his face.

North gulped. This was the side of Toothiana he thought he would never have to see again after she'd retired from her days in the field. This Toothiana was tough as nails, ruthless, and would probably end up destroying anything and everything in her way to get the answers that she wanted.

"I….may or may not have tried to get them to speak to each other." He finally admitted, holding his hands up in sheepish surrender. "It did not go well."

For a moment, it looked as though Tooth were about to lunge at him, but then she took in a deep breath and forced her feathers to lay flat before glaring at him with her vibrant eyes.

"And what, may I ask, happened?" she half growled.

"I told them to fix problem?" the Russian coughed out quickly.

"_North!"_ Tooth hissed, feathers back to bristling. "We agreed that we would let them sort it out _on their own!_ What you did probably just made things even worse- no, they _did_ make things worse! How _could_ you?"

The situation that North now found himself in made him want to run to the farthest point of the earth and dig himself a large hole that he wouldn't be able to climb out of at seeing Tooth's disappointed face. It made him feel like a scolded child, and it was something that everyone knew not to do with the Russian. But this wasn't the normal Tooth. The normal Tooth would immediately be apologizing and asking him to forgive her for her outrageous behavior- this was not her. This Tooth would continue to beat him to shreds verbally until she finally ran out of steam, and then, only then, would there be a _possibility_ of the woman apologizing.

"I can't believe you would go behind our backs like this." She muttered to herself, flitting back and force with a hand pressed against her forehead. "What is Sandman going to say about this? You know what this is going to do to him? He's going to be furious! This goes against a direct agreement between all of us, North!"

With each word, Tooth was steadily growing more and more agitated, and she finally let out a shriek of frustration, turning and slamming her fist into the large metal globe that displayed all of the children's lights across its broad surface. Barely wincing, the fairy brought back her hand, her features wiped clean of any emotion, and gave North one final glare before she zipped off through the open door, which a few yeti had gathered around to see what was going on.

Needless to say, they now regretted eavesdropping.

o-o-o-o

"I'm tired."

"Then go ta sleep, Frostbite."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"The nightmares."

Bunnymund sighed. This was the third conversation in the last twenty minutes that had involved almost the exact same words, and at this point, the Pooka wanted nothing more than to actually be able to close his eyes and sleep. But he also knew what Jack was going through on some level, and as long as that thought was present, he would do his damned best to make sure that the Winter Spirit was safe.

_At least this time he told me why he doesn't want to fall asleep. _The Pooka thought to himself dryly.

"Jack…Ah don' know if ya know about what happened to me a ways back, but Ah'm gonna tell ya a story." The Pooka sighed, shifting so that he could get a firm hold on the teens waist. The sun was now beginning to peek over the mountains in the distance, and the light was both soothing and a right pain in the arse for the sleep deprived Pooka.

"Once upon a time…"

o-o-o-o

_He wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to get into this predicament. One moment he'd been strolling along with several other of his fellows, and the next thing he knew, he was alone. He didn't know how he'd managed to be alone, but that was the way it was. _

_Startled and just a little wary, the Pooka crouched, paw going to his boomerang, ears flicking back and forth for any sign of a sound that didn't quite belong in this peaceful setting. _

_There was something at the farthest point to his left, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what was making the sound. In fact, he thought it sounded an awful like a Pooka in pain-_

_The burrows. _

_The burrows were in danger. _

_Instantly, before his mind could even register the fact that he was moving, his limbs were dragging him through the familiar pathways that he had been taught as a youngling. The foliage slapped against the sides of his face, but there was no pain. There was only the adrenaline and the panic surging through him, the sheer desperation that he would be able to stop whatever was happening. _

_But as he finally skidded into the main clearing, he felt something inside of him break as he looked over the lost battle. He hadn't been able to make it in time, to see what had done this to his family and his kin, but he knew that there was something extremely wrong about what he was seeing. _

_There was blood everywhere. Torn bodies and smog filled the ground, and he didn't need to look to know that there were no survivors. _

_None but him. _

_He felt his legs give way beneath him as the grief hit him like a tidal wave. It swept him through all of the names and the faces of those now lying dead. Babes, elderly, it didn't matter. _

_He was alone. _

o-o-o-o

"What did you do?" Jack asked, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe that Bunnymund had gone through something like _that_, and all by himself…

The sudden light bulb flickered on over the Winter Spirit's head as he finally grasped what the Pooka was trying to tell him. He had gone through the same thing. He had had to deal with the sudden pressure and grief of realizing that he was alone and there was no one who could or would help him get through the loss of all of the family that he had ever known.

"Ah went through somethin' that Ah wouldn't wish on anyone, Frostbite." Bunnymund said softly, running his paws through the teen's hair gently. It was a gesture that he found he quite liked to do. It soothed Jack, but it also calmed his own frayed nerves.

Sure, the other Guardians knew the rough idea of what had occurred; genocide of the Pooka. But Jack was the first one that he had felt the utmost need to tell the entire story, short as it was, to. Perhaps it was emotion or cheesy pick-up lines talking, but it just felt right to share his history with the Winter Spirit.

"I'm sorry, Bunny. I didn't know."

"No one knows, mate. You're the first one to hear all of the detail. It's not some kind of war that Ah went through. It was cold blooded murder. And Ah can say that it took a long time before Ah managed to start livin' again." Bunnymund shook his head. "Ah can't imagine what they went through."

Jack was silent for a minute, processing what he had been told.

"What does that mean, then?" he queried cautiously.

"Ah ain't gonna tell the rest of them what ya went through unless ya physically tell me to, Frostbite." The Pooka promised. "Ah ain't gonna betray ya like that. Not now, not ever."

"Okay." The teen murmured, burrowing his way deeper into the makeshift seat that the Guardian of Hope had created for him out of his arms and chest. "Thanks, Aster."

Within moments, the Winter Spirit was sound asleep, and Bunnymund looked out over the valley, wondering what would happen next. Sure, now that the two of them admitted that they had feelings, it was all well and good, but there was still the matter of the others wanting to know everything that Jack had been through while they had all been in limbo. And that was something that even he wanted to know, but he wasn't stupid enough to just demand answers from Jack. When the youngest Guardian was ready to tell them what happened during their absence, he would, and even if it took a hundred more years for it to happen, Bunnymund knew that he would still be patiently waiting.

He owed that much to Jack for being able to save all of their lives, whether it had been intentional or not. Because by the looks things had been when the Winter Spirit had woken up to see him, it sure hadn't looked like he'd been relieved that some kind of master plan had worked out to bring him back. No, Bunnymund was sure that it had all been simply some kind of accident, a coincidence that had brought the Guardians back from wherever they had been.

And accidental it may be, Bunnymund would forever be grateful to the Winter Spirit for bringing him back so that he could see him again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, this is it. Already, I know. And this time, this is really it. There's no sequel in store, no more of this fanfic. Although I can promise you all that I will be writing more JackRabbit in the future. Honestly, I don't know how I wouldn't considering my insane addiction to it.**

**And who knows? You guys, the readers, are a major part of my writing. Don't be shy to ask me to write something for this fandom if you really want to see it happen. I'm pretty easygoing when it comes to stuff like that. **

**So, for the last time, enjoy, read, review. And thank you all for your support and amazing feedback. **

**Warning: There is a lot angst and hurt in this fic. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.**

**Summary: He had always been alone. Now he's struggling to find his place with the Guardians. Sequel to What's Left of Me.**

o-o-o-o

By the time that Bunnymund and Jack made it back to the North Pole, Sandy was pacing around with a scowl on his features, Tooth was glaring at North, and said Russian himself was pointedly ignoring anything and everything as he loosely hacked away at a chunk of ice.

"Do Ah wanna ask what's goin' on, or should we just leave?" Bunnymund asked a little hesitantly as Sandman caught a glimpse of them. A bright grin lit of his face as he noticed the proximity between the two Guardians that had just arrived, and he winked at the Pooka knowingly before turning and waving to get Toothiana's attention.

"Oh! Jack! Aster ! You're back!" she sighed in relief as she flitted over. "I am so sorry for anything that Nicholas said to you. Sandman and I had thought that we all agreed to let you two sort out whatever was going on in your own time, but of course, he got impatient."

Jack blinked, moving closer to Bunnymund as the excited fairy came a little too close to his comfort zone, and it wasn't something that went unnoticed by anyone in the room. However, the remaining Guardians sensed that it probably wouldn't do much good for them to comment on it, only to have Bunnymund and Jack push each other away again.

"I sorry." North made a face behind Tooth as he lowered the chainsaw. "Is not my fault. Blame mother for that one."

"Your mother is a wonderful woman, Nicholas St. North, and don't you dare say otherwise!" Tooth snapped back, feathers ruffling threateningly as the two began another round of arguing. Sandy shrugged at Jack, as if to say, _What can I do? They don't even listen to me when they're getting along!_

Jack, however, after a long day of stress and relief, finally allowed a small smile to cross his features as he realized that he really wasn't in this alone. He had Sandy and North and Tooth and Bunnymund to help him every step of the way.

He knew it would be a long time, if ever, that he would manage to come back from killing someone and even getting over all the traumatic events that had happened to him in the last three hundred years, but in the meantime, the Winter Spirit would try his damn hardest to make it for everyone around him.

"Thanks, Kangaroo." The Winter Spirit whispered into his newfound partner's ear before going back to acting as if nothing had happened.

Bunnymund looked down in shock at the smirking Guardian before looking at Sandy, who once again had the knowing grin plastered all over his face. Cheekily, he blew a kiss to the pair before retreating to higher ground to attempt to keep Toothiana from ripping North a new one.

"Anytime, Frostbite." Bunnymund replied, feeling a soft smile of his own crossing his face.

"Anytime."

o-o-o-o

_100 years later_

"_Oi! Jack! Where've all the googies gone this time!" _an irritated Pooka yelled across his Warren, long grey ears plastered to the back of his head threateningly as he scented the air, hoping to catch the slightest whiff of the Winter Spirit he knew was behind all of this. _"If Ah find out you sent them to North's again, there's gonna be hell to pay, mate!" _

"I don't think you're yelling loud enough, Kangaroo. I think there are still a couple folks in Canada who didn't hear you." A light voice taunted by his ear before Bunnymund whirled to face a grinning Jack Frost.

"Where. Are. My. Googies." The Pooka growled, making a swipe for Jack's neck. If he could get the idiot in a headlock then it meant that he would have a higher chance of making sure that there would be minimal teleportation confusion like last time. Bunnymund had ended up in New Zealand rather than China, and it had not been a pleasant experience to go through as Jack led him on a merry little game of tag.

Sensing that he wasn't in the mood to play, Jack rolled his eyes, sticking out his bottom lip as he remained suspended in the air by the thin cloud of frost that now accompanied him everywhere. It was a rather nifty trick that the younger Guardian had figured out after he accidentally teleported himself into the sky rather than to the top of a building, and since then he was rarely seen without the damned thing.

"They're already in the tunnels, if you really want to know." Jack muttered, blue eyes flickering to said tunnels to emphasize his point. "I thought we went over this last year."

"Ah'm not mad at ya, Frostbite. Ah was just concerned about what might've happened to all of them. Ever since-"

"Don't say it, Aster." Jack warned.

"Ah hardly think Ah need to tell you what Ah'm talkin' about anyway." The Pooka snorted before drawing the reluctant teen into his arms. Almost immediately, there was a distinct change in the slightly stiff shoulders that Jack had, and then he relaxed into the warm fur that was very similar to a blanket. "But Ah do have a point."

"Yeah yeah."

"Hey. Frostbite. Look at me." Bunnymund rolled his eyes before tilting up Jack's chin so that their eyes met. There was still a slightly haunted look to the glittering sapphire, though the Winter Spirit tried his hardest to keep it from showing, and Bunnymund raised a brow.

"Ah love ya."

"I know."

The Pooka let out a bark of laughter before he snickered at Jack. "That's it? No, Ah love ya too? Just Ah know? You wound me, Frostbite."

"I love you, Kangaroo." The teen finally smirked back, going on the tips of his toes to place a peck on the Pooka's lips. "So can we go now?"

"Whatever you say, Frostbite." Bunnymund chortled, though he allowed the smaller Guardian to have his freedom as he began moving towards the tunnels. "But Ah'm still the best at hidin' the googies."

"You're on, Kangaroo!"

o-o-o-o

_It's still hard. _

_I know that everything stems from one thing, but really, I don't care about that anymore. It's just the simple realization that there's all of this pain and suffering that's still lurking somewhere in the back of my mind, and I don't know what's going to happen because of it. _

_But I have Aster. _

_Sure, he's a pain in the ass sometimes, but he's a good guy. Pooka. Guardian. Whatever he is. And he's been right beside me every step of the way. _

_He's helped me realize that I'm not the only one who goes through shit like this, and he's really helped me realize that none of what happened was my fault. _

_Of course, the whole Tooth vs. North thing that's been going on for the last hundred years or so was kind of my fault, even if I didn't mean for it to be. But how was I supposed to know that they'd all agreed to let me and the Kangaroo sort it out?_

_Mischief Night's appeared a couple of times since then when I'm in Paris, and it always seems to be at the Eiffel Tower. He's not all that bad, when he's not being a complete ass about telling you what you want to know. And trust me, that shit can get pretty bad. _

_Other than that, Aster and I are getting closer every year. I live here in the Warren now, and he actually trusts me enough to help him with Easter now. Hard to believe, considering the rocky start that we had concerning said holiday, but who am I to judge?_

_My name is Jack Frost. _

_I've lived through not just one, but two wars. _

_I was alone for three hundred years. _

_I am hopelessly head over heels for the Easter Bunny. _

_This is the end of my chapter. _

_But the beginning of a new story. _


End file.
